New Movies In Theaters August 16th - Rotten Tomatoes

New Movies In Theaters August 16th - Rotten Tomatoes

There are four new films in wide distribution this week:

Kick-Ass 2: (2900 theaters; rated R for every conceivable reason but only "brief nudity"; 27% positive reviews). Consensus: "Violent and crass, Kick Ass 2 features a strong performance from Chloe Grace Moretz but mostly fails to live up to the humor and captivating irony of its predecessor."

The Butler: (2900 theaters; PG-13; 73% positive reviews). Ambitious historical drama. "LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man's life and family. Forest Whitaker stars as the butler with Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, John Cusack as Richard Nixon, Alan Rickman as Ronald Reagan, James Marsden as John F. Kennedy, Liev Schreiber as Lyndon B. Johnson, and many more. Academy Award (R) nominated Lee Daniels (PRECIOUS) directs and co-wrote the script with Emmy (R)-award winning Danny Strong (GAME CHANGE)."

Jobs: (2300 theaters; PG-13; 26% positive reviews). Not that many critics have weighed in, but it's Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs. I don't think you need Roger Fuckin' Ebert to tell you that's gonna suck. If they could have worked Hugh Grant and Mr Bean into the plot it would have been the Perfect Storm of suckitude.

Paranoia: (2400 theaters; PG-13; 4% positive reviews.) How deeply must this suck to get 96% of critics against it when it stars Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford? "In this high-stakes thriller, Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is a regular guy trying to get ahead in his entry-level job at Wyatt Corporation. But after one costly mistake, Adam's ruthless CEO, Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman), forces him to spy on corporate rival, Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford), Wyatt's old mentor. Adam soon finds himself occupying the corner office and living the life of his dreams. However, behind the scenes, he is simply a pawn in Wyatt's corporate game and realizes he must ultimately find a way out from under his boss who will stop at nothing, even murder, to win a multi-billion dollar advantage."

Box office predictions:

Kick-Ass 2: $19-$22M (first or second place)

The Butler: $21-$25M (first or second place)

Paranoia: $5-$10M (sixth or seventh place)

JOBS: $8-10M (sixth or seventh place)

Hold-overs: We're The Millers and Planes are expected to vault past last week's champ, Elysium, because the latter is expected to take a deep plunge based on weak audience responses.